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Mortgage Rates Tick Up on Wednesday; Rates Hit Highest Levels Since June

Mortgage rates rose on Wednesday: The average 30-year mortgage rate is 3.57%, which equates to a $452.96 monthly payment per $100,000 borrowed. A month ago, the equivalent payment would have been lower by $12.80.

If you were to opt for a shorter term, the average 15-year mortgage rate is 2.87%, which equates to a $684.35 monthly payment per $100,000 borrowed. A month ago, the equivalent payment would have been lower by $11.90.

Rate (national average)

Today

1 Month Ago

30-yr fixed jumbo

4.15%

4.32%

30-yr fixed

3.57%

3.34%

15-yr fixed

2.87%

2.62%

30-yr fixed refi

3.60%

3.39%

15-yr fixed refi

2.89%

2.64%

5/1 ARM

3.03%

2.88%

5/1 ARM refi

3.18%

2.98%

ARM = Adjustable-rate mortgage. Data source: Bloomberg.

Mortgage applications fell last week; rates at highest levels since June

Other indicators are lower, too: The Purchase Index fell 0.4%, following a brutal 7% decline the previous week, while the Refinance Index was down 2%. Nevertheless, the Purchase Index is 9% ahead of its year-ago level. The refinance share of mortgage activity was 62.7%, unchanged on the previous week, and adjustable-rate mortgages were just 4.4% of total applications.

For conforming loans (balances of $417,000 or less), the average contract interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.75%, its highest level since June. Points, including the origination fee, decreased to 0.32% for mortgages with 80% loan-to-value ratio. The effective rate increased from the previous week.

The average rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgages also reached its highest level since June 2016, at 3.04% percent, with points increasing to 0.36%.

The millennials are coming!

On Monday, this column highlighted that the proportion of sales to first-time buyers rose to 35% in 2016, following three straight years of declines. Yesterday, one of my favorite Twitter pundits,

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